Halloween Hauntings

When Halloween falls on a Saturday you'd expect a full day of trick-or-treating fun. We made plans with the girls' friends for a split day. They would start the afternoon in our neighborhood so all our neighbors could see the girls in costume. They would move to Erin's house after a pizza break.
Of course the weather didn't cooperate. It started raining the night before and drizzled on and off all morning. About an hour before everyone was supposed to arrive one mom checked in to see if the girls were still going. I said, "Of course. Send her with rain boots and an umbrella." Daddy and Holly set off with all 8 girls when it was a drizzle. The girls ran from house to house to house collecting their treats. About 1/2 hour after they left the drizzle turned into a steady rain. I tried willing the rain to go back to a drizzle, but it didn't work. Long before I expected them back Daddy called. Some of the girls had enough of the rain. They wanted to come back. He asked me to watch for them. When the girls arrived they ran upstairs to change into dry clothes and blow dry their hair. I put their costumes into the dryer.  You'd think a rainy, chilly Halloween would damped spirits, but it didn't. The girls laughed and told stories and made plans to trick or treat some more. They sat around our dining room table drinking hot chocolate and giggling. By the time our girls and Erin arrived, the first group was warm and dry and relaxed.  Brynn and Torri joined the party just before pizza came out of the oven. She walked in and made this announcement, "I'm sorry if I smell. My dog got skunked last night and our whole house stinks." I felt badly for her parents as she talked about how much work they were doing to try to get the smell out of their house.  The girls moved to Erin's just as the rain stopped. They were barely in the house when Erin started calling for her Dad to take them out again. These girls were on a mission. I arrived to bring our girls home in the middle of the candy trading session. The girls dumped their candy on the floor to trade this one for that one. Sometimes it was practical. The blond twin can't eat sticky candy with her braces. Erin is allergic to peanuts. Other times it was sweet. The girls put together a big candy bag for their friend Ella, whose Mom died earlier in the week. Her Mom's funeral was Halloween morning. Knowing that Ella wouldn't be trick or treating, the girls made sure she had some candy. When our girls came home we immediately sorted candy into "eat now" and "eat later" piles. The "eat later" candy was frozen to get it out of the kitchen. The "eat now" candy went into a bowl on the breakfast bar. It's the "eat now" candy that's causing problems at this point. I keep telling the girls it's not a race to find the bottom of the bowl. They don't have to eat it all this week. They remind me that Christmas is coming and soon we'll be overloaded with those treats.  It was so much easier when they were little and didn't try to figure out a way around everything I said. On the one hand you have to admire the logic. On the other hand, "outwit Momma" is an exhausting game, even when they have a point.